Sylacauga, AL---A little boy, just 10 years old, is facing a life full of challenges. He suffers from genetic defects that make him look and live differently from other kids.
Every day at 3:15pm, 43-year-old Lisa Crawford anxiously awaits her son's return from school. Like most moms, she picks him up from the bus stop, wondering how his day was.
But 10-year-old Parker Crawford is not like most kids. He tries to stay happy, but there are times, he is forced to hold back the tears.
"Sometimes they laugh about me, about my head and my ear and my nose,” said Parker.
"It's very hard," explained Lisa. "I'll get real emotional a little bit, but then I'll try to say, 'Parker, they don't understand what's going on.'"Parker suffers from a craniofacial disorder and primary immune deficiency disease, both genetic defects that make it hard for him to breathe, eat, and play.
He's also more prone to getting sick. Even the slightest illness can cause him to stay home.
"I try to make sure that he's brave every day before he goes to school and not to let it bring him down," said Lisa.
Since he was born, he's had more than 30 surgeries, and yet, Parker refuses to miss out on his childhood.
"I like to play video games and watch TV and play on (the) computer and eat candy," said Parker.
It's not the way she pictured it would be, but Lisa has faith that one day, her son will lead a better life.
"I hope and pray that he does what he really wants to do," said Lisa.
When Parker grows up, he says he wants to be an ice cream maker.
For more information on craniofacial disorder, go to http://www.ccakids.com/syn.asp or http://www.faces-cranio.org/
And for information on primary immune deficiency disease, go to http://www.info4pi.org/aboutPI/index.cfm?section=aboutPI or http://www.primaryimmune.org/
